


I'll Be Home for Christmas

by HidingintheInkwell



Series: Song Titles [2]
Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Christmas Fluff, Gen, Homecoming, Letters to Santa, M/M, kinda a 3+1
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-25
Updated: 2019-12-25
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:07:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,371
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21946315
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HidingintheInkwell/pseuds/HidingintheInkwell
Summary: I'll be home for ChristmasYou can plan on mePlease have snow and mistletoeAnd presents on the tree
Relationships: Steve McGarrett/Danny "Danno" Williams
Series: Song Titles [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1435831
Comments: 7
Kudos: 96





	I'll Be Home for Christmas

_ I'll be home for Christmas _

_ You can plan on me _

_ Please have snow and mistletoe _

_ And presents on the tree _

“Hey ma, yes ma’am I’m on my way now. Yup, campus closed up yesterday. Alright, ma. I’ll see you soon. Love you, too.”

Danny Williams smiled as he hung up the phone and tossed it over into the passenger seat. Outside the warm confines of his car the snow had been steadily falling for over an hour, but the roads from Albany to home were well-salted and clear. It was roughly a five hour drive to come home from college, so while he always tried to make it home as often as he could, it typically only happened for holidays or birthdays. This time was special, though. Stella was supposed to be bringing home her boyfriend (Danny knew that title would likely be changed soon, if not during the holiday itself) and Matty and Bridget were coming home from their colleges too. 

Danny had to admit to feeling a little guilted into making it home this year, too. Last Christmas he’d been invited to Vermont to go skiing with a couple buddies and had jumped at the chance to get away from Aunt Marie and her drunken stories and cheek pinches. His ma and pop had said it was fine, and he’d promised to be home in time for New Year, but he could still tell she’d been looking forward to having the family home for Christmas, just like every year. Shaking off the melancholy, he cranked up the radio just in time to catch the first strains of Bing Crosby singing “I’ll be hooome for Christ-Mas… youuu can plaaaan oon mee….” Rolling his eyes, Danny sank back into his seat and hummed along as the snow blurred around him. 

_ Christmas Eve will find me _

_ Where the love light gleams _

_ I'll be home for Christmas _

_ If only in my dreams _

“Hey, ma. No ma’am, I don’t think I’m going to be able to make it this year either. No, it’s not work this time. I managed to convince Rachel not to take Gracie to England until the day after Christmas, so I get her for a couple hours and we were going to go swim with dolphins and maybe check out the Botanical Garden in Honolulu. Steve says they do a big festival of lights thing every year, and some of their plants are even wearing santa hats, or they’ve engineered some to be christmas colors, or something. Maybe next year? Okay, ma. I love you, too. Tell everyone Merry Christmas for me. What? Oh, yeah it’s  _ Mele Kaliki-maka.  _ Mele Kalikimaka to you too, ma. Love you.”

Danny closed his phone with a snap and tossed it over into the passenger seat, one hand coming up to rub at the headache that was beginning to thrum behind his temples. What he hadn’t told his mother was that the conversation with Rachel had involved a two hour argument/shouting match, and no small amount of guilt tripping to convince her to let him have Gracie the evening of Christmas Eve and the first couple hours of Christmas Day before Rachel whisked her away to do Christmas in the big Mansion Stan called a house before they were boarding a flight to England just in time for Boxing Day, where Rachel was set on keeping her through New Year and right up until school began again. 

Steve, bless his socially inept heart, had been present for a good portion of his conversation with his Ex, and had recommended the Botanical Garden and the dolphin swim. He’d even offered to be Chauffeur and tour guide, should Danny wish to share the limited time he had with his daughter with his partner. Danny had replied that he appreciated the offer, but that he would have to check with Gracie first. Gracie, of course, was more than willing to accept Steve’s offer, which meant Danny was now on his way back to the office to let Steve know he had a date with his daughter and some dolphins. Reaching over, he cranked up the volume and felt the headache pound a little louder as the strains of “I’lll be hooome for Christ-mass….” Came from the speakers. He angrily punched at the seek button, only to be met with the upbeat “mele kalikimaka is the think we say on a bright Hawaiian Christmas daaay!” With a growl, he hit the button until it landed on something that sounded like smooth Jazz and fought the urge to curse every Deity and Fate at the way his life had collapsed in on itself.

_ I'll be home for Christmas _

_ You can plan on me _

_ Please have snow and mistletoe _

_ And presents on the tree _

“Hey, ma. Yeah, my flight leaves in about a half hour so I should be landing in Newark around supper time. Yes ma’am, Rachel promised to drop Gracie off on her way back from London. Yeah, her mom is doing a lot better. Gracie called me yesterday to tell me her grandfather took her to ride the London Eye while Rachel took her mom to her checkup. No, Steve’s not coming this time. Yes, ma, I had extended the offer. His sister Mary, yes ma’am the one I told you about, she and her daughter are flying down in a couple days and Steve’s going to do Christmas with them. Yeah, he’s looking forward to it. Alright, ma, I’m gonna hang up. I’ll see you in a few hours. Love you too.”

Danny hit the end call button and shoved his phone in his pocket, checking the notice board one more time for his gate before adjusting his carry-on and striding off through the waves of holiday travelers. It was their first Christmas after Matty had been killed, and Danny hadn’t even needed to ask for the time off before Steve all but shoved a plane ticket into his hand and told him to go be with his family. He’d been assured that his SuperSEAL and the Cousins could hold down the fort while he was gone, and when Danny had voiced the thought of Steve spending Christmas alone, the brunet had assured him that he’d be fine and told him about Mary’s plan to visit (if Danny had later called Mary to validate the claim that Steve wasn’t just bullshitting him, that was nobody’s business but the two blonds). 

As soon as Gracie’s school had gotten out, Rachel had whisked her away to England for the holiday, not that Danny had been too salty about it this year. Rachel’s mother had ended up in the hospital around Thanksgiving, so the girls were going to spend Christmas with them, and then Rachel had booked a flight home that passed through New York, and she was going to hand Gracie off and continue on to Nevada to visit Stan. Danny was pretty sure Rachel had only agreed to the mild inconvenience because she knew the toll her ex-brother-in-law’s betrayal and subsequent death had taken on the Williamses. They both knew getting to see Gracie for the holiday, even if it would be a little after Christmas, would be good for the Jersey-based sect of the family. 

His phone buzzed just as he was reaching his gate, and he opened the message to find a picture of Steve in a godawful floral printed Santa Hat and a wide, cheesy grin on his face. “Mele Kalikimaka, Danno! Have fun with the clan!” The message under it read. Danny shook his head, wondering how the hell the SEAL had managed to find that hat in the 20 minutes that had passed since he’d left Danny at the check-in with a peck on the cheek and a promise to try not to blow up the island in his absence. Shoving the phone back into his pocket, he took a seat and stared out the plate glass wall; watching the planes take off and land while he waited on the one that would take him back to Jersey. Above him, the airport had piped Christmas music through the speakers for travelers as they made their way through the terminals. “I’ll be hooome for Christ-Mas… youuu can plaaan onn mee….”

_ Christmas Eve'll find me _

_ Where the love light gleams _

_ I'll be home for Christmas _

_ If only in my dreams _

“Hey, Danno. I know I said it was looking like I’d be home for Christmas this year, but things have taken an unexpected turn and it’s not looking like it’s going to happen. I wish I could tell you what’s going on, I wish you were here with me, but I promise I’m safe, and I’ll do my best to make it home soon. Kiss Gracie and Charlie for me, and make sure Kono hasn’t decided to fill my shoes in my absence. I expect to come back and find my island in one piece, you hear me? I love you, Danno.”

Danny lowered the phone from his ear and let it fall into the cupholder beside him. It was probably the hundredth time he’d listened to that message in the last week. It had come while Danny had been in a meeting with the Governor, having left his phone in his office. Danny had spent the rest of the day cursing himself for not being there to answer his damn phone. Steve had been gone for nearly a year, called off on some mysterious mission with only the vague estimate of how long it would take. He called whenever he could, sometimes at odd hours of the day, and he skyped whenever he knew Grace and Charlie would be with Danny, but those moments were fewer than any of them would have liked. The missed call from Steve had been the first one in over a month, his last call being to let Danny know they were getting close and that he’d be unable to call for a while, but that it was looking like he’d be home in time for Christmas. Now it looked like that wasn’t going to happen either. 

Danny pulled up to the gate in front of Rachel’s house, waiting to be buzzed in. He got the kids for the holiday this year, Rachel taking the opportunity to go visit her family for some personal time. The divorce from Stan had been rough, and Danny had figured she’d earned the time away with her mom and dad. He was coming to pick them and their suitcases up and then take them to see Santa. The front door was opening before Danny had even put the car in park, spilling his eager children and their suitcases out onto the driveway, Rachel’s elegant form stepping out behind them. Danny climbed out of his car and strode over to collect bags as Gracie and Charlie tried to detangle themselves. 

“You guys ready?” He asked, keeping his voice cheerful. He’d told the kids about Steve’s message, but assured them that the SuperSEAL was doing his best to be home, even if he had to catch a ride with Santa to do so. Rachel caught his gaze over small heads as twin cheers of “YEAH!” echoed off the house’s siding. He collected suitcases as their owners made a mad dash for the car. “Thanks again, Rachel,” he said, offering his Ex a tired smile, letting the cheery mask slip just a little. “Tell Amanda and George Merry Christmas for me, alright?” Rachel nodded, coming closer to offer him a light peck on the cheek. “I will, Daniel,” she replied, accent thicker than normal, and he suspected she’d gotten off the phone with her mom not too long ago. “Are you sure you’re going to be alright? Grace told me about Steven…” 

Danny nodded, casting a glance back to watch his daughter help her little brother buckle up into the back seat. “Yeah, I’ll be fine. He’s doing what he needs to do. I know he’ll try to be home as soon as he can.” Rachel nodded in understanding, offering him one more hug before stepping back and waving to the eager children. “You should go, Charlie has been talking nonstop about going to see Santa Claus since you told them they’d go.” Danny offered one more smile before he was turning and heading back to his car, loading suitcases into the trunk and making sure everyone was buckled before he was driving back out the gate and heading towards Ala Moana Center. 

The line was long by the time they found the gaudy setup, palm trees strung with multi-colored lights and fluffy “snow” covered the ground around the oversized throne. Santa wore board shorts and a garish Hawaiian shirt, decorated with tiny versions of himself in swim trunks doing things like surfing or floating in a flamingo pool toy, or lounging in a beach chair eating shave ice. The snowy white beard on his face was a sharp contrast to the reddish-brown tan of his skin, but a santa hat sat perched on his bald head and his eyes twinkled as he greeted each child with a jolly “ho, ho, ho!” 

Danny lifted Charlie up into his arms so the kid could see Santa over the heads of others in line. “Danno we’re almost there!” He squealed, wiggling so much Danny had to put him back on the ground. “That’s right, we  _ are  _ almost there!” Danny replied, eyeing the baker’s dozen families in front of them. “Do you have your list of what you want to ask Santa for?” Charlie nodded excitedly, pulling the folded and slightly rumpled paper from his pocket and showing his Danno proudly. “What about you, Gracie? Do you have your list?” Danny asked, turning to his daughter. The preteen had been surprisingly eager to join in the process, writing her own list with Charlie and eagerly waiting for their visit. It made Danny happy to know his daughter had kept the Christmas spirit as she’d gotten older, even if it was probably more for the sake of her little brother. 

The line crept slowly, Charlie occasionally poking his head out to see how close they were before returning to his eager bouncing. Finally, there was just one more family in front of them, the youngest bursting into tears the moment she’d been sat on Santa’s lap, and the other eagerly relaying their laundry list of wishes until his parents and one of the elves practically pried him off Santa’s lap and led him away. At last it was their turn. Danny took a step out of the way while Grace led Charlie up to the throne and helped him up onto Santa’s knee. “Ho, ho, well hello! Who do we have here?” Santa grinned eyes twinkling at the siblings. Charlie grinned back. “I’m Charlie, and this is my sister Grace!”

“Well it is a pleasure to meet you, Charlie and Grace! Have you both been good this year?” 

Both children nodded eagerly. 

“Well then! What would you like for Christmas this year?”

Charlie dug into his pocket and pulled out his list. “This year I’d like a balance bike, and a dump truck, and a new basketball because Jimmy’s dog bit a hole in my old one, and Grace wants a surfboard and a digital camera, and…” Charlie trailed off for a minute, glancing up almost hesitantly at his sister before turning back to Santa. Danny felt his brow furrow in confusion. Charlie had been going nonstop about what he was going to ask Santa for, so why was he looking at Grace? 

“Santa, what me and Grace really want this year is for our Uncle Steve to be able to come home for Christmas.”  _ Ah,  _ Danny thought, feeling heat spring up behind his eyes.  _ That’s  _ why they’d been so secretive. Charlie was still talking. “He’s a Navy SEAL, and he’s been away on a super secret mission and he doesn’t think he’s gonna be able to come home, and we miss him a lot and our Danno misses him a lot, so do you think you could pick him up in your sleigh and bring him home for Christmas?”

There was a collective of soft “awe”s from the families still in line and the workers running the meet-and-greet, and Danny thought he saw Santa’s eyes turn extra shiny behind the blur of his own eyes. He quickly blinked them away and pasted on a smile as everyone cast glances his way. Santa was thoughtful for a long moment before replying. “You know, Charlie and Grace, your Uncle Steve sounds like a very special person, and I bet he’s doing a very special job right now. I’m sure he’s missing you two and your Danno just as much as you’re all missing him, so I’ll tell you what. I’ll make a stop on my way here, and I’ll talk to his boss and see if they can let him go for Christmas. If they say yes, then I’ll load him in my sleigh and drop him off with your presents, but if they say no, that they still need him, I’ll try to bring a message from him, alright?”

Charlie nodded solemnly in understanding before his grin was back and he was giving Santa a goodbye hug. Grace offered the big man a hug and a thank you too before she was taking Charlie’s hand and leading him off the stage, both accepting the candy canes from a slightly sniffly elf and running over to where Danny stood waiting. “Do you think he’ll actually be able to do it, Danno?” Charlie asked, blue eyes big as he looked up at Danny. “Find Uncle Steve and bring him home?” Before Danny could respond, Grace was ruffling her little brother’s blond hair. “Of course he can, Charlie! Santa can find anyone anywhere, that’s part of his magic!”

Danny wrapped his arms around his children and started leading them out towards the car. “Gracie is absolutely right, Charlie. If anyone can do it, Santa can do it.” What he didn’t voice, was that it would probably take more than Santa’s magic to get Steve out of whatever sandpit they’d sent him to this time. As long as he came back safe and in one piece, Danny really didn’t care about how and when he got there. 

* * *

Christmas Eve crept up on them like the flu; little by little and then all at once. Whenever Kamekona was off Santa duty and Danny had to go in on a case, Danny would enlist the big Hawaiian as a babysitter. Sometimes he’d call Jerry, if it was absolutely necessary, but mostly he just worked from home or took the kids to the office when he needed to go in. Luckily for Five-O, the holiday season had applied to the criminal underworld as well, with only a couple instances of break-ins or suspicious activity that was pretty easily handled by HPD. Before Danny knew it, they were closing up and heading home for the next three days. 

Gracie helped him make supper that evening while Charlie sat at the kitchen table and drew a picture that would go with the cookies Jerry had helped them make and decorate the day before. When the pasta had been drained and the cheese stirred in, and the homemade nuggets pulled from the oven to cool, Danny had had Charlie put away his crayons and go wash up while he plated their food and Grace pulled out drinks. It wasn’t until they were all seated around the table and eating that Danny realized there was a picture sitting at their empty chair. “Charlie, I thought I asked you to make sure everything was put away before dinner.”

“I did, Danno,” Charlie said around a mouthful of chicken. “That’s for Uncle Steve. I’m gonna put it with Santa’s cookies so that, if Santa can’t bring Uncle Steve home, then he can deliver the letter on his way back to the North Pole.” Danny felt his stomach clench at the innocent, thoughtful gesture and quickly ate a bite of his mac-n-cheese. “I think that’s a wonderful idea, Charlie,” Danny said when he was able to speak again. Charlie gave him a cheesy grin in response before digging back into his supper. 

When the leftovers had been put away and the dishes cleaned, Danny had sent the kids upstairs to change into their pajamas while he queued up Dr. Seuss’s  _ The Grinch.  _ Charlie was still a little too young for the Jim Carrey version, and besides, he’d probably be asleep before the Grinch was finished stealing the Who-feast. He was just settling back into the couch when feet thundered down the steps and two weights were flinging themselves onto the cushions on either side of him. “Danno, can we open a present now?” Charlie asked, giving him an impression of Puppy Eyes he’d no doubt learned from Gracie. Danny chuckled. “Why would you want to open presents now? If you open them now, you’re not going to have anything to open tomorrow when it’s  _ actually  _ Christmas!”

Charlie rolled his eyes and flopped over in dramatic resignation. “Dan _ no,  _ it’s just  _ one _ present! Besides, Santa’s coming tonight and he’s gonna be bringing even  _ more  _ presents!” Danny fought back a grin and offered a relenting sigh. “ _ Fine…  _ you may open  _ one  _ present. But the rest have to wait until tomorrow, alright?” His answer came in the form of a delighted shriek as Charlie bolted from the couch to rifle in the pile of festively wrapped packages, pausing every once in a while to study one or give one a shake before moving on until he finally returned with three wrapped packages, at least one of which looked like it had been wrapped by him. “One for each of us,” he announced before passing out the gifts. 

The small, sturdy looking one wrapped in paper printed with christmas lights went to Gracie, the tag announcing that it was from their mom and Danno. A similarly wrapped one made its way to the couch where Charlie had decided to sit, but the final one, a long and flat box messily wrapped in Christmas Robot wrapping paper. “Who could this possibly be from?” Danny asked with false naivety. Charlie giggled and clambered up onto the couch. “You’re gonna have to wait, Danno. We have to go in order!” Order, of course, meant that Charlie got to open his first. He tore into the paper eagerly, tossing shreds aside until he uncovered the puzzle Rachel and Danny had picked out. It was a large piece puzzle, but one that would likely insure a little assistance would be needed, and showed off characters from one of the kids shows Charlie watched. Charlie admired it with wide eyes before bouncing to look at Grace. 

Gracie opened her’s with less tearing, opting instead to slip her finger under the tape and take the paper off all in one piece. Inside was one of those preteen vampire novels Rachel had mentioned Grace finding a new interest in. The result was a wide grin and a peck to Danny’s cheek with a “Thank you, Danno!” Finally it was Danny’s turn to open his. He eyed the present almost warrily, knowing that if Charlie had been in charge of wrapping, it was probably something Steve had helped him pick out. Too big to be a tie or a book, unless they’d decided to pull a joke on him and hide boxes inside boxes. 

“Open it, Danno!” Charlie said, bouncing up and down on his cushion, bottom lip caught between his teeth. Gracie was also watching him with an eager glint in her eye that had Danny wondering if she’d played a part in this as well. Cautiously, Danny began unwrapping his present. Beneath the paper was a plain white box; the kind you get when you buy clothing at department stores. Maybe a new dress shirt? If this was a Hawaiian shirt, Danny swore to himself Steve was a dead man. Bracing himself, he lifted the lid. 

What he uncovered was not what he’d expected. Beneath the layer of tissue was a gorgeous cable knit sweater the color of the sea during a storm; the kind of dark grey-blue that looked in a constant state of motion. Pulling it out of the box and spreading it across his lap, he marveled at the softness of the yarn. “Do you like it, Danno?” Charlie asked, eyes wide and bouncing having come to a temporary halt. “Uncle Steve took me and Gracie to the mall that day you had a doctor’s appointment and helped us pick it out.” Danny felt his eyes burn and blinked quickly to keep the tears from falling. Wrapping an arm around each of his children, Danny pulled them into a hug, eyes not leaving the sweater in his lap. “I love it, thank you both for giving Uncle Steve expert advice.” 

His children giggled and pulled away, settling back into the cushions as Danny pressed play on their movie. His eyes kept straying repeatedly back to the sweater in his lap. It reminded him of the kind his Grandma used to make for the family every year, and he remembered having told Steve about them one year when the brunet had somehow managed to unearth an old family photo featuring everyone in their sweaters. Charlie had said they’d picked it out the day Danny had had to go to the doctor’s. If Danny remembered correctly, that had been barely a week before Steve had shipped out. That meant this sweater had been hiding somewhere for nearly a year, kept a perfect secret; which was a feat in itself since Charlie couldn’t keep a secret to save his young life. 

Inevitably, Charlie drifted off before the end of the movie, leaving Grace and Danny to watch the success of the Whos and the expansion of the Grinch’s heart. As the end credits rolled, Danny left Grace to turn off the TV and collect shredded paper while he took Charlie up and tucked him into bed. He met his daughter in the hall, accepting the sweater she’d brought up for him and pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “Good night, Monkey. Thank you again for my present.” Grace’s smile was all dimples in the dim light. “You’re welcome, Danno. Merry Christmas!” With a quick hug, she was turning and disappearing into her room, door slipping closed behind her. 

Danny readied for bed slowly, pulling on a pair of sweats and an old undershirt before pulling on his new sweater. Even despite the warm humidity of the day, December nights in Hawaii still got fairly chilly, and Danny relished the warmth of his new sweater. Holding it to his face, he imagined he could smell the citrusy floral scent that had always accompanied handmade gifts from his grandmother, but also a tiny bit of Steve in there as well. Feeling the longing clench at his heart, he crawled beneath the covers and tried to let sleep claim him. 

* * *

Something loud thumped against the house, seemingly coming from every direction at once. Danny came awake with a start, holding still as he listened for the sound to repeat himself. His first thought that maybe it was Charlie falling out of bed or tripping over something on his way to the bathroom, but it sounded too loud for it to have been Charlie. Sitting up slowly, he reached for his phone and the gun he kept in his bedside drawer. 

_ THud.  _

There it was again. Front of the house. Climbing out of bed, he kept his thumb on the safety as he crept into the hall. The creak of hinges behind him the noise had awoken at least one of his children, so he made a waving motion for them to stay back and stepped carefully towards the stairs. There was the sound of what he swore could have been hoofprints on the gravel of the driveway. Shaking off the idea, he stuck his head around the wall so he could see into the living room, finding only the quiet of an undisturbed place lit warmly by the lights on the tree. Gracie must have forgotten to turn them off when she came up. A quick glance to his watch told him it was a little after 4am before a scratching at the front door drew his attention again. 

Using every amount of stealth he’d accumulated since he was Charlie’s age and used to sneak down to peek under his own family tree, Danny made his way down the steps until he could fully see into the living room without being immediately seen himself. The door opened with a low squeak, followed by the scuff of hard-soled shoes trying to be as silent as Danny was. Whoever had just come into his house clearly had some sort of training. The door closed back with a soft  _ snik _ followed by the deadbolt clicking back into place before there was the muffled  _ thunk _ of something hitting the floor. Danny held his breath, ready to call the intruder out the moment they stepped into view. A part of him felt silly with the idea of turning a gun on Santa, but the bigger, grown-up part of him argued that it was four in the morning and someone had just come into his house. 

The muffled shuffling continued; the scrape of fabric against the wall, a soft thunk as boots hit the wood, a knock as someone clearly lost balance and fell into the door. What the hell was this intruder doing? Finally, the shuffling came to an end and Danny was left straining his ears again. There was a familiar slide of socked feet on wood floor, and the intruder was stepping into view. 

Danny felt his grip on the gun go slack and his breath freeze in his chest. The man in his living room wore a Santa hat and carried a bag, but in place of the big red suit he wore dark cargo pants and a worn black shirt. The bag he carried was a dingy military green, but when he reached into it, he pulled out several wrapped presents, placing them carefully under the tree. As he was reaching into the bag for presumably the last one, Danny managed to find his voice. “Steve?”

It was barely louder than a breath, but SuperSEAL hearing picked it up anyway, emerald eyes that looked so much brighter in real life reflecting back the colored glow from the tree. Slightly dry lips curled into a grin as the SEAL rose to his feet. “Hi, Danno. Merry Christmas.” 

Danny was unable to move, still trying to wrap his brain around the fact that his boyfriend was now standing in their living room, when the last Danny had heard Steve wasn’t going to be able to make it. Fortunately for the silence, there were two eavesdroppers at the top of the stairs who had no such trouble making their bodies move. There was a cry of “Uncle Steve!” before twin blurs were racing down the stairs and barreling into the brunet. Danny was a little jealous at how easily Steve swung Charlie up into a big bear hug before setting him against one hip while he wrapped Gracie into a tight hug against his other side. The appearance of his children did afford Danny the opportunity to pull himself together and move off the stairs, setting his gun safely out of the way and moving towards his family. 

Charlie was staring at Steve with wide eyes. “Uncle Steve, how did you get here?! Danno said you weren’t going to be able to come home until  _ after  _ Christmas!” Steve smiled at the little boy, eyes glowing with affection. “Well, didn’t you and Gracie ask him if he could bring me home early?” He waited until Charlie nodded before continuing. “Well, that’s what he did! On his way down from the North Pole, Santa found me and asked my command if I could leave early so I could be home for Christmas, and since we’d caught most of the bad guys, my command said yes. So I climbed on Santa’s sleigh and he dropped me off here. It made him a little late, though, so he asked if I could deliver some presents to the two munchkins who live here while he went on to the next group of boys and girls.” 

Charlie’s eyes were the size of dinner plates and his mouth had fallen open during the story, and even Grace looked a little awed by the events. “So does this mean you’re home for good, Uncle Steve?” She asked, wrapping an arm tight around him. Steve nodded, catching Danny’s eye and smiling. “Yeah, Grace-Face. I’m home for good.”

There was another round of hugs and the start of another onslaught of questions, quickly interrupted by a wide yawn that showed off all of Charlie’s teeth. “Alright, Charlie, I think it’s time to go back to bed,” Steve said softly, adjusting his grip on the boy and starting for the stairs. The kid cast one more longing glance at the tree before it disappeared from view, but Danny knew his kid would be asleep before Steve even reached his room. It still meant he’d be wide awake and ready for presents in only a few short hours. Grace had followed Steve up the stairs, leaving Danny to turn off the lights on the tree before they blew a fuse and shuffle his way through the dark until he found his gun and the railing of the stairs. 

He only stubbed his toe twice on the way up, and by the time he’d made it to the second floor Grace’s door was once again closed and Steve was stepping out of Charlie’s room. The taller man looked tired and he was thinner than he’d been when he’d left, but there was an air of ease surrounding him now.  _ He’s home _ , Danny thought, letting it fully sink in for the first time since he’d seen the brunet step out from the entryway. As Charlie’s door clicked shut, Steve looked up and caught Danny still standing at the top of the stairs. A wide grin crossed his face as he came forward and enveloped Danny in his arms. Danny’s arms locked around the narrow waist and he held on. 

He had no idea how long they stood there wrapped up in one another, but eventually he forced himself to pull back from the embrace, the cold having seeped into his feet and made them numb. “Come on, SuperSEAL,” he whispered. “Let’s go to bed before the chaos wakes back up.” Steve’s chuckle was the sweetest thing Danny had heard in a long time as he followed the blond into their bedroom. While Danny climbed under the no-longer-warm sheets, Steve stripped quickly and efficiently out of his cargos and shirt, trading them for a pair of worn gym shorts and the Soccer Dad shirt Gracie had given them both a couple years ago. Then he was climbing into the bed and pulling Danny into his arms. 

Danny sighed and burrowed closer, feeling the huff of the other man’s chuckle stir his hair. “You’re wearing the sweater the kids picked out,” Steve said after a moment of silence, voice low and gravelly with fatigue. Danny had to wonder when the last time the man had slept was. “From what I hear, you had a little something to do with picking it out, too,” he replied, feeling one strong arm stroke against the sleeve of the sweater. Steve just hummed, already half asleep. Danny was more than ready to join him, but there was one thing he needed to know first. “How the hell did you know Charlie had asked Santa to bring you home?” The chest beneath Danny’s head rumbled. 

“Kamekona called after the kids’ visit to Santa. The big guy was practically a blubbering mess. It couldn’t have come at a better time, though. We’d just caught a lead and were going to close in the next day. I was afraid I wasn’t going to be able to pull it off at first; the paperwork involved was an absolute nightmare. My flight actually came in early yesterday morning and I was hiding out at Jerry’s.” Steve’s words took a pause as a wide yawn cracked his jaw. “That was him making all the noise. He’d turned the headlights off and ended up knocking a ladder into the side of the house and running into our trashcans. I hadn’t meant to wake you. I was going to sneak in and camp out in the office until morning.”

Danny hummed, turning to look up at the brunet in the dim moonlight filtering through the curtains. “I’m glad you did. Though I have to admit I almost shot you for being an intruder.” 

Steve snorted. “You’d have shot Santa Claus? Looks like  _ somebody’s _ going on the naughty list.” Danny made a half assed swipe at the taller man’s arm before settling back down. “Santa can forgive me, he broke into the home of a cop.” The two lapsed back into a comforting silence for a long moment. Danny could feel the sleep tugging at his mind and the way Steve’s body was completely relaxed beneath his. He’d missed this in the last year. “I’m glad you’re home, Steve,” he whispered into the shadows. 

The reply didn’t come immediately, and at first he was sure Steve had fallen asleep, but just as he was about to join him, the brunet’s voice broke through the silence. “ _ I’ll be home for Christmas, you can plan on me… _ ” Hiding his smile in the t-shirt under him, Danny rolled his eyes at his dork and let sleep draw him under. 

_ I'll be home for Christmas _

_ You can plan on me _

_ Please have snow and mistletoe _

_ And presents on the tree…  _

_ Christmas Eve'll find me _

_ Where the love light gleams _

_ I'll be home for Christmas _

_ If only in my dreams…  _

_ ~END~ _

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Merry Christmas to everyone! I hope you all get to spent it wherever and whoever you consider to be home! Even if it is only in your dreams ;)  
> \--HidingintheInkwell


End file.
